Day 5: Consumer participation and design in media culture


  • Defining (and engaging in) participatory culture
    • Old models of participation: view and discuss "The Visible Lifestyle"
      • Questions to consider while analyzing an ad
      • Competitive advertising and new consumerism
        • Car, house, wardrobe (clothing and jewelry)
        • SUVs and other vehicles
        • Luxury items
        • Water and coffee
        • Athletic footwear
        • Prestige clothing
        • Overspending


Brand
Product
Message
Who
How
Coca Cola
Soda
Polar bear shows that you are cool
Children
Cartoons, posters, websites
Adidas
Footwear
Athletic spirit
Teens and adults, men and women
Celebrity endorsement
Rolex
Watch
Worn by extraordinary people
High status
Golf or tennis players
Starbucks
Drinks
If you want to look cool, you will buy Starbucks
Adults, students
Instagram

What is "new" or different about participatory culture?
  • More than half of teens have created content
  • They can become a group with shared interests
  • "Hidden curriculum" -- sports, band, clubs, parents
  • People at different ages have different thoughts about the information
  • School has been slow to react to these changes
  • With the internet we can find more information and sources, not just from newspaper or TV (we can evaluate it)
  • We don't need to just stay in the classroom, we can search for information by ourselves
Can you think of any other examples of participatory culture?

Wikipedia
  • What is it?
  • How does it work?

    • New models of participation
      • Brief overview from Henry Jenkins
      • Wikipedia
        • Follow the transcript on this radio story
        • Examine one Wikipedia page about a topic in which you are interested. Try to determine the following:
          • When the page was created
          • When the most recent edit occurred
          • How many total edits have occurred on the page
          • How many discussions about the page have been or are currently going on
          • How many references are available to outside sources
      • Memes
      • Open Source
      • Hashtags
      • Interactivity (QR and Aurasma)
      • Remixing cultural artifacts
      • Others?

How could we use Aurasma?
  • Make a short movie to interview a friend, scan the brand of car and see the movie
  • Promotion trailer -- for a company like Starbucks (scan the logo)
  • Treasure hunt/game

  • Considering your essay
  • Homework
    • Journal 3: Due Wednesday at 5:00
      • This week, we are studying the many ways that we can be more active, critical, and creative users of the Internet. In this journal entry, your goal is to be descriptive; that is, you will describe common ways in which you use the internet to work on your research and write your essay. think about all of these ideas in connection to what we have discussed tonight about "Participatory Culture." You don't need to answer all of these questions, but please consider at least two of the bullet points in your description. Questions to consider include:
        • What you typically do when you begin researching a topic on the Internet? What website(s) do you use for search? Why?
        • As you encounter different resources, how do you evaluate the quality of those resources? What do you look for to determine whether or not the information you have found is credible?
        • How do you keep track of your research? What are you doing as you read different websites and gather information for your essay?
        • How do you collaborate with others during the process of researching and writing? In what ways do you ask for help from and provide feedback to others?
        • How do you share your writing the world? In what ways to circulate what you have created among your friends, family, and broader audiences?
    • Rough Draft of Essay: Due Thursday at midnight
  • Tomorrow -- Meet in L508 Computer Lab